The medieval period was a time of nobles fighting for love, honor, and country according to a code of chivalry. “Chivalry comes from the French word cheval, chivalry meaning someone who fights on horseback. The term also meant “knighthood”.(Matthews, Platt, Thomas p.234-235).” During this time the nobility used war as a way to show their power and maintain their status by being professional soldiers. There were also many lower class soldiers who were led into battle under the nobles. These soldiers fought so that the nobleman maintained his safety and his land. Soldiers rode into battle on their horses in full armor and weapons drawn, ready to defeat their enemies one by one. They would lay siege to castles for weeks and months until the battle was won. To better understand warfare in medieval times we must look at the armor and weapons used in battle. According to Rogers, “The primary weapon for most soldiers during the medieval period was the sword (Rogers p.432).” The warhammer and mace were also used by cavalry soldiers as close-range weapons. “These weapons were made of iron, so they would be heavier and capable of inflicting more damage on heavily armored soldiers (Rogers p.440). There were some innovations at this time that aided the cavalry soldier, such as the high saddle. "This saddle had high supports in front and behind the rider, and stirrups that allowed the rider to remain securely in the saddle during a rapid charge (Bradbury p.19)". crossbows, slings and axes. According to Rogers, "The sling was a weapon for soldiers of lower status (Rogers p.441)". ...rks CitedVerbruggen, JF Art of War in Western Europe during the Middle Ages: from the eighth century to 1340. New York: Boydell & Brewer Ltd., 1997. Page No. 13 May 2010. Prestwich, Michael. Armies and Wars in the Middle Ages: The English Experience. New Haven, CT: New Haven Yale University Press, 1999. Page No. 13 May 2010. Rogers, Clifford J. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology.Vol. 3. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Page no. 3 vols. Print.Matthews, Roy T., F. DeWitt Platt, and Thomas F. Nobel. Western humanities. Seventh ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 233-71. Print.Bradbury, Jim. The medieval siege. New York: Boydell & Brewer Ltd., 1992. Page No. NetLibrary. Network. June 6, 2010.Hetfield, James. "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Ride the lightning. Electra / Wea, 1984.